Wurteh (Watts) Benge (abt. 1745 - bef. 1814)

Born about 1745 in Cherokee Nation (East)

Ancestors

Wife of John Benge — married about 1760 in Cherokee Nation

Descendants

Died before 1814 before about age 69 in Cherokee Nation (East)

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Uncertain Parent

The mother of Bob and Lucy Benge is often referred to as "Wurteh Watts," a name for which there is no documentation. "Watts" comes from the apparent fact that Cherokee Chief John Watts was her brother, but a time line makes it unlikely that white trader John Watts was her father. He does not appear in records relating to the Cherokee until after 1750. "Wurteh's" son, Bob Benge was born no later than 1765, probably closer to 1760, meaning his mother must have been born no later than 1750, and probably closer to 1745.

Biography

As with most early Cherokee women, almost nothing is known of the woman called “Wurteh Watts,” the mother of Bob “The Bench” Benge. She is named in no records and is known only by extrapolation from references to her father, her brother, and her son. She was born in the Cherokee Nation about 1750, usually listed as the daughter of white trader/interpreter John Watts and a Cherokee woman who was the sister of chiefs Old Tassel and Doublehead. The family lived in or near the Cherokee town of Chota. John Watts came into the Cherokee Nation before 1752 when he accompanied a Cherokee delegation to Williamsburg, VA as interpreter. ^[1] A deposition from Trader Robert Due/Dews from 1777 stated that Old Tassel was the uncle of the Cherokee John Watts/“Young Tassel.” ^[2] Bob Benge and his brother “The Tail” are described as the nephews of John Watts, leading to the conclusion that their mother was the daughter of John Watts the elder and sister of John Watts the younger. ^[3]

“Wurteh” may have had more than one husband, but only one, white trader John Benge, is certain. They were the parents of two, possibly three children, Bob “The Bench” Benge, Lucy Benge, and “The Tail,” who is described as a brother of Bob Benge but whose father is uncertain. ^[4]

Her date of death is unknown.

Note: for discussion of other possible spouses and children please see the G2G thread attached to this profile.

Sources

1. ↑ McDowell, William. Colonial Records of South Carolina, Series II, The Indian Books. South Carolina Department of Archives and History. 1955. Vol. 3, pp. 10 & 14
2. ↑ Colonial and State Records of North Carolina, Volume 22, Pages 995-1005, Deposition of Robert Dews concerning relations with Native Americans, January 22, 1777. Image at https://docsouth.unc.edu/csr/index.html/document/csr22-0706
3. ↑ American State Papers, James Carey to Governor Blount, March 19, 1793. pp. 437-438, image at http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampagecollId=llsp&fileName=007/llsp007.db&recNum=438
4. ↑ Goodpasture, Albert V. “INDIAN WARS AND WARRIORS OF THE OLD SOUTHWEST, 1730-1807.” Tennessee Historical Magazine, vol. 4, no. 4, 1918, pp. 252–289. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43999637.